Smaller Wheels

Felt do the SR 81/91 in 650c, you would need to be short, below 5'4".

gclark8 said:

Felt do the SR 81/91 in 650c, you would need to be short, below 5'4".

I am 5'11". I want the mountain bike 26", not the 650c, and I am looking for a bike with a real touring frame that I can put racks on.

I was wondering if any options were available to me for touring with 26" wheels. I've had better luck with smaller wheels, and I like that they will give lower gears. There seems to be better deals on the smaller wheels too. And, I noticed that a lot of bike shops carry slicks for mountain bikes.

scituatejohn said:

I am 5'11". I want the mountain bike 26", not the 650c, and I am looking for a bike with a real touring frame that I can put racks on.

I was wondering if any options were available to me for touring with 26" wheels. I've had better luck with smaller wheels, and I like that they will give lower gears. There seems to be better deals on the smaller wheels too. And, I noticed that a lot of bike shops carry slicks for mountain bikes.

Bruce Gordon BLT-X up to 54 cm size
Even though 54 cm sounds like it might be too small for you, check:

<http://www.bgcycles.com/framesiz.html>

Once you made the measurements you can call them.

scituatejohn said:

I am 5'11". I want the mountain bike 26", not the 650c, and I am looking for a bike with a real touring frame that I can put racks on.

I was wondering if any options were available to me for touring with 26" wheels. I've had better luck with smaller wheels, and I like that they will give lower gears. There seems to be better deals on the smaller wheels too. And, I noticed that a lot of bike shops carry slicks for mountain bikes.

I also understand that the Waterford Adventure Cycle 1900 and T14 can be ordered with 26" MTB Wheels.
Gunnar... a product of Waterford Pecision Cycles.... is coming out with a touring frame with 26" MTB wheels.

My Gunnar Rock Hound is my "mountain bike" and while I would not recommend it for long-long-long distance loaded touring, due to the short 'stays, Gunnar/Waterford seems to have a better idea of how to make a good long-distance bike. Lower bb, good balance of stiffness in the tubes. And, they do offer the Rock Tour. Check it out.
http://gunnarbikes.com/rocktour.php

There are plenty of options if you don't want drop bars. The Novara Safari (found only at REI) is a "mountain touring bike" which uses weird shaped "trekking" bars for multiple hand positions. Otherwise, look for bikes in the "urban" category. These bikes are basically mountain bikes with rigid front forks and slick tires. A couple of examples: Scott SUB or Marin Novato/Muirwoods.

If you want drop bars, like most of the earlier posts said, only the smaller sized touring bikes use 26" wheels.

Contact ; Robert Beckman Designs, Great touring bike with the 26" wheels.